Briquet.



Urrnn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIS J. ROUSSEL, OF NEV ORLEANS, LOUISIANA.

BRIQUET.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 719,047, dated January27, 1903.

Application filed April 25,1902. Serial No. 104,712. (No specimens.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIS J. RoussnL, a citizen of the United States,residing at New Orleans, in the parish of Orleans and State ofLouisiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inBriquets; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in briquets; and the object of myinvention is to produce a cheap and efficient artificial fuel and at thesame time utilizing waste products.

In carrying out my invention I take ordinary garbage or house refuse andmix it with charcoal and resin in the following proportions: charcoal,fifteen per cent.; resin, ten per cent, and garbage, seventy-five percent. the garbage having been soaked in crude petroleum, whichisnowproduced in large quantities in this vicinity. Instead of charcoal finecoal may be used. The garbage or similar waste material is first driedin any suitable manner and then pulverized or chopped. It is then placedin vats filled with crude petroleum, and after it has become thoroughlyimpregnated therewith it is transferred to a mixing-vat and the charcoaland resin added. After the materials are well mixed the resulting massis pressed into briquets of the desired shape and size in molds, whichmay be either hot or cold. By the process of pressing the excess of oilis removed and all cavities in the mass filled up, obviating to a largedegree the formation of gases of decomposition, the result being a firmcompact briquet admirably suited for fuel purposes.

I find that the use of charcoal in the briquets causes them to lastlonger when burning and also to burn with a fine glow. Also the use ofresin renders it easier to start a fire with the briquets, since withoutthis ingredient it would be necessary to start a separate fire to ignitethe briquets. In some cases, however, as for use under boilers, thisingredient may be omitted.

A better result is obtained if the oil in which the dried garbage orother waste product is soaked is heated to a rather high temperature, asthis seems to increase the absorptive properties of the dried mass.

Instead of or mixed with the garbage I may use any of the common wasteproducts which are now of little or no value and are often a source ofexpense, such as sawdust, excelsior, bagasse, water hyacinths, straw,riceshells, corn -shucks, rags, waste paper, due. Of course I do notmean that any waste material whatever-such as furnace-slag, forexample-could be used instead of garbage, as my invention is restrictedto combustible waste materials. I am thus enabled to use waste productsand cheap fuel materials to produce excellent fuel-briquets, which maybe used in any desired way for heating purposes.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim asnew, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

A briquet composed of seventy five per cent. of garbage soaked in hotcrude petroleum, fifteen per cent. of charcoal and ten per cent. ofresin, the whole mass being pressed into briquets under the influence ofheat.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIS J. ROUSSEL.

Witnesses:

LOUIS CIPRIANI, EDA MEUNIER.

